11 Times The Walking Dead Said F**k You To The Fans

6. Old Man Rick

The Walking Dead Old Man Rick
AMC

The Walking Dead's Season 8 trailer did a great job of building hype. Not only did it promise a load of action, but the ending included a shot of a visibly aged Rick that sent the internet ablaze.

In the comics, the All Out War storyline is followed by a time jump - of at least two years, but perhaps even more - and with Rick looking so much older, it seemed like The Walking Dead was ready to really push on into the future. They teased it further in the premiere, before dropping it for a while, and then eventually we got the big reveal.

It was all a dream.

This was not a future that was actually coming, but a dream of Carl's; his mind's utopian vision of what could be if Rick and Negan set aside their differences and made peace. The time jump was not only something fans were excited to see, but a chance to really freshen things up on the show too. Instead, we got the laziest storytelling trick in the book.

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NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.